Bergdahl has been allowed to go, with supervision, to a grocery store, restaurants, shopping centers and a library as part of the process of getting him comfortable with being out in public, army spokeswoman Arwen Consaul said.

Bergdahl, 28, has been receiving care at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio since returning to the United States on 13 June. He initially was being treated at Brooke Army Medical Center at the fort but was shifted last week to outpatient care at the military base.

He has not commented publicly on the circumstances of his disappearance, and the army has made no charges against him. The army has said it is investigating Bergdahl's disappearance and capture, but that investigators will not interview him until those helping him recover say it is all right to do so.

Bergdahl's "reintegration process" has slowly increased his exposure to social settings and groups of people, giving him "a little bit more every day", Consaul said.

It began with going to facilities at Fort Sam Houston, including the commissary and the gym. It has since progressed to going into San Antonio and visiting various businesses. On these visits, Bergdahl is accompanied by members of his reintegration team, including a psychologist.

The process is about "getting [Bergdahl] comfortable with being out in public and interacting with large groups of people," Consaul said.